TRACKING IMPLEMENTATION PROGRESS OF AWC RECOMMENDATIONS Update Report
February 2020 Volume 9
2020 AWC Recommendation Tracking Update Report 1
Table of Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 2
Overview ......................................................................................................................................... 3
AWC Recommendation Tracking Detailed Reports – 2020........................................................... 4
Recommendations Overview .......................................................................................................... 6
Projects ............................................................................................................................................ 7
Wetland Policy and Implementation Plan (September 2008) ..................................................... 7
Healthy Aquatic Ecosystems (March 2009) ............................................................................... 7
Water for Life Implementation Review 2006 – 2008 (June 2009) ............................................. 8
Water for Life Implementation Review 2009 – 2011 (October 2012) ....................................... 8
Aquatic Invasive Species (October 2015)................................................................................... 9
Water Literacy (April 2016) ....................................................................................................... 9
Water for Life Implementation Review 2012-2015 (October 2016) ........................................ 10
Lake Watershed Management (March 2017) ........................................................................... 10
Evaluating Water Conservation, Efficiency and Productivity (March 2017) ........................... 11
Previously Complete or Closed .................................................................................................... 12
Shared Governance (September 2008) ..................................................................................... 12
Watershed Management Planning (September 2008)............................................................... 12
Water Conservation, Efficiency and Productivity Sector Planning (September 2008) ............ 12
Provincial Ecological Aquatic Criteria for Health (November 2009) ...................................... 12
Sector Planning for CEP (March 2013) .................................................................................... 12
Intra-Basin Water Movement (June 2008) ............................................................................... 13
Wetland Policy .......................................................................................................................... 13
Water Allocation Transfer System Upgrade Project (August 2009) ........................................ 13
Moving from Words to Actions (June 2011) ............................................................................ 13
Non-Point Source Pollution (March 2013) ............................................................................... 13
Riparian Land Conservation and Management (March 2013) ................................................. 14
2020 AWC Recommendation Tracking Update Report 2
Introduction The Alberta Water Council (AWC) has been tracking the implementation status of its
recommendations since 2012. As part of the tracking system, AWC staff prepare two reports: a
Detailed Report and an Update Report. The Detailed Report lists all recommendations and their
implementation status (provided by the identified implementer), by individual
recommendation, theme or full suite of recommendations. The Detailed Report is in table
format and is posted on the Council’s website. The Update Report provides a general overview
of implementation progress; it is presented at the first board meeting of each year. As part of
this presentation, the board has an opportunity to discuss implementation progress and offer
advice to implementers concerning any challenges that are identified.
In October 2017, the board approved a revised process with the objective of facilitating more
meaningful updates on the status of the recommendations and incorporating a process that
would allow us to stop tracking them once they had achieved criteria. New options for
reporting should facilitate more meaningful updates and allow the AWC to identify
recommendations that will require no further updates. This is intended to streamline the
recommendation tracking process and focus future updates on recommendations for which the
work is ongoing.
This is the third Update Report based on the revised tracking system. It highlights key changes
to the status of recommendations and describes implementation progress by project since the
last report (February 2019). The date shown after each project name is when the
recommendations were originally presented to the board.
2020 AWC Recommendation Tracking Update Report 3
Overview This report synthesizes updates received on 276 recommendations from 19 AWC projects. The
charts on the following page provide an overview of how the distribution of recommendation
status has evolved since the last updates were provided in 2019.
Starting in 2018 many recommendations were assigned to new categories such as:
implemented through an alternative approach, partially implemented, and closed, either
because not a priority or not appropriate.
Starting in 2020, recommendations that were closed in previous years are assigned to
previously implemented/closed.
To date recommendations from the following projects have all been reported as implemented:
• Sector Planning for Water Conservation, Efficiency, and Productivity (CEP)
• Shared Governance
• Provincial Ecological Aquatic Criteria for Health
• Moving from Words to Actions
• Wetland Policy
• Aquatic Invasive Species
• Water Literacy
To date recommendations from the following projects have been considered closed:
• Intra-basin Water Movement
• Water Allocation Transfer System Upgrade
To date recommendations from the following projects have been considered implemented or
closed:
• Non-Point Source Pollution
• Water CEP
• Watershed Management Planning
• Healthy Aquatic Ecosystems
2020 AWC Recommendation Tracking Update Report 4
AWC Recommendation Tracking Detailed Reports – 2020 The Alberta Water Council (AWC) tracks the implementation status of its recommendations
annually. You are receiving this document because your organization was identified as an
implementer for the attached recommendations. Please refer to the status key below to select
the appropriate status for each recommendation. Within each category, please also select from
the two to three additional options to describe the rationale for the status of the
recommendation:
Implemented
Implementer reports that the recommendation or its intent has been implemented.
Choose one of the following options:
OPTION 1 - As written: Recommendation has been implemented as written by the
AWC
OPTION 2 - Alternative approach: Intent of the recommendation has been
implemented through an alternative approach
OPTION 3 - Unclear but met: The recommendation did not include a clear goal
and/or timeframe, but the intent has been met
Partially implemented
Recommendation or its intent has been partially implemented but there is no plan
to implement the outstanding portion.
Pending
Implementer reports that the recommendation is at various stages of
implementation or uncertain; further follow-up is required next year. Choose one of
the following:
OPTION 1 - To be completed: Implementation has begun with the intent to be
completed
OPTION 2 - Uncertain: Implementation may or may not have begun but further
progress is contingent on other factors (e.g., other work, budget limitations, staffing
limitations)
Closed (no further follow-up planned)
Implementer reports that the recommendation will not be implemented and no
further follow-up is expected. Choose one of the following:
OPTION 1 - Not a priority: Recommendation is no longer considered a priority
OPTION 2 - Not appropriate: Recommendation is no longer considered appropriate
(e.g., this is not part of the mandate of the identified implementer, this
2020 AWC Recommendation Tracking Update Report 5
group does not exist anymore, AWC targeted the recommendation to
an inappropriate group)
OPTION 3 - Unclear and not met: The recommendation did not include a clear goal
and/or timeframe, and the intent has not been met
Previously Implemented or Closed
Recommendation was reported as implemented or closed in previous reports
2020 AWC Recommendation Tracking Update Report 6
Recommendations Overview The first chart shows the distribution of recommendation status at the last update in 2019.
The second chart shows the distribution of recommendation status as of 2020. There were no
new projects to add since the last report in 2019.
43%
2%28%
27%
2019 Implementation Status of Recommendations
Implemented
Partiallyimplemented
Pending
Closed
2020 Implementation Status of Recommendations
Implemented
Pending
PreviouslyImplmented/Closed
2020 AWC Recommendation Tracking Update Report 7
Projects This section presents project-specific updates. For each project, the charts on the right are a
quick way to assess how the status of recommendations has evolved from 2016 to 2018. Please
note that the charts below use the same legends as the charts on the previous page:
Previously Implemented/Closed Implemented Partially implemented
Pending Closed
Wetland Policy and Implementation Plan (September 2008)
Two recommendations remain pending:
• Recommendation 2.1.3: remains as pending, with no changes in
status identified from Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils
(WPACs).
• Recommendation 2.2.1: remains as pending, with no changes in
status identified from WPACs.
Healthy Aquatic Ecosystems (March 2009)
Recommendations 2, 3 and 4 were updated from “pending” to “implemented” alternative
approach.”
2020
2019 2020
2019
2020 AWC Recommendation Tracking Update Report 8
Water for Life Implementation Review 2006 – 2008 (June 2009)
Recommendations 3, 5, 7 and 8 were updated:
• Recommendation 3: remains “pending” by the WPACs
• Recommendation 5: updated from “pending” to “implemented – alternative approach”
• Recommendation 8: remains “pending” by the WPACs
Water for Life Implementation Review 2009 – 2011 (October 2012)
• Recommendation 6: remains “pending” by the WPACs and ASN
• Recommendation 7: remains “pending”
• Recommendation 9: updated from “pending” to “implemented –
unclear but met”
2019 2020
2019 2020
2020 AWC Recommendation Tracking Update Report 9
Aquatic Invasive Species (October 2015)
All recommendations were previously implemented in 2019, except recommendation 2.
• Recommendation 2: updated from “partially implemented” to “implemented – as
written”
Water Literacy (April 2016)
Recommendation 1 was implemented as written in 2019.
• Recommendation 2 – 5: updated from “pending” to “implemented – alternative
approach”
20202019
20202019
2020 AWC Recommendation Tracking Update Report 10
Water for Life Implementation Review 2012-2015 (October 2016)
All recommendations apart from recommendation 10 have been implemented or closed as of
2019.
• Recommendation 10: reported as “implemented” by the AWC and WPACs in 2018, and
remains “pending” by the WSGs
Lake Watershed Management (March 2017)
Recommendations 1, 4-8, 10, and 11 have been updated from “pending” to “implemented –
alternate approach.” Recommendation 12 was updated from “pending” to “implemented as
written.” Recommendation 2 and 9 remain pending.
2019 2020
2019 2020
2020 AWC Recommendation Tracking Update Report 11
Evaluating Water Conservation, Efficiency and Productivity (March 2017)
• Recommendation 1: Remains pending
• Recommendations 2: Reported as implemented by Irrigation and Forestry. Remains
pending with Downstream Petroleum, Alberta Urban Municipalities Association
(AUMA), Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA), Chemical and Power Generation.
• Recommendation 3: Reported as implemented by Irrigation, Forestry, Downstream
Petroleum, and Chemical. Remains pending with AUMA, RMA, and Power Generation
• Recommendation 4: Updated from “partially implemented” to “Implemented –
alternative approach”
2019 2020
2020 AWC Recommendation Tracking Update Report 12
Previously Complete or Closed
Shared Governance (September 2008)
All recommendations are implemented, either as written, or with an
alternate approach.
Watershed Management Planning (September 2008)
All recommendations apart from recommendation 3 and recommendation 8
have been implemented as written. Recommendation 3 and 8 were marked
as closed.
Water Conservation, Efficiency and Productivity Sector
Planning (September 2008)
All recommendations apart from one have been implemented as written.
Recommendation 13 was closed.
Provincial Ecological Aquatic Criteria for Health (November
2009)
This recommendation has been implemented as written.
Sector Planning for CEP (March 2013)
All recommendations have been implemented as written.
2018
2016/2018
2016/2018
2016/2018
2018
2020 AWC Recommendation Tracking Update Report 13
Intra-Basin Water Movement (June 2008)
All recommendations were updated to reflect that they have been
closed, as a comprehensive response for these recommendations is not
being developed. The Government of Alberta (GoA) is considering new
policies and protocols resulting from the emergence of Whirling disease
in Alberta, and other actual or potential aquatic invasive species.
Additionally, a 10-year review of Approved Water Management Plan for
the South Saskatchewan River Basin (Alberta) is currently being
undertaken.
Wetland Policy
All recommendations have been updated to implemented.
Water Allocation Transfer System Upgrade Project (August
2009)
The status of all recommendations was updated from “pending” to
closed.” Alternative approaches and options are being utilized by the
Ministry which align with emerging government priorities and available
staffing resources.
Moving from Words to Actions (June 2011)
All recommendations have been implemented either as written, or with
an alternative approach.
Non-Point Source Pollution (March 2013)
Recommendation 1-4 was implemented as written. Recommendation 5
was closed.
2019
2019
2019
2019
2019
2020 AWC Recommendation Tracking Update Report 14
Riparian Land Conservation and Management (March 2013)
The status for all recommendations was updated to “closed.” These
recommendations are not part of current water priorities and resources
have not been allocated to this work at this time.
2019